It was supposed to be a normal Thursday for Li Weiqi, an auxiliary traffic officer based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. But his trained eye and prompt action earned him praises locally and abroad for being able to prevent what could have been a tragic road accident.
In a CCTV video, Li was seen redirecting motorists at a crossroad after spotting cracks on the ground.
The officer immediately placed cones around the cracks to warn incoming drivers to take an alternate route.
Minutes later, the ground opened up slowly, leaving a huge sinkhole that was about 2 meters deep.
The video footage also showed other traffic officers helping Li redirect motorists away from the huge crack.
The incident quickly made it to various media outlets and social media platforms.
China Daily reported that the video has received more than 3.6 million views and 20,000 reposts on CNN's Facebook page.
Meanwhile, online news websites such as Auto Evolution and Yahoo! News have baptized the 40-year-old officer with various nicknames such as the "Jedi Traffic Officer" and the "Sharp-Eyed Cop."
Many online users commended the traffic enforcer's deed.
"That is one conscientious police officer," said online user hgUuozds.
At the dawn of the viral video, may users were suggesting to look for the cop so he could be recognized. Many also commented that what the cop did saved lives and prevented what could have been a horrific road carnage.
Li, when cornered by the media days after the incident, was modest in his response to the worldwide attention being given to him, saying that what he did was just part of his job.
China Daily reported that Li, a contractual worker who earns only about $2,000 yuan ($300) monthly, has been nominated by the city government for a first-class public security award.